DALLAS, Sept. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- George (Sturdy) Wanamaker, vice president and manager of the private client office of Southwest Securities, Inc. in Georgetown, Texas, has been awarded the FIVE STAR Wealth Manager(SM) Award as featured in the September issue of Texas Monthly.

FIVE STAR professionals score among the highest in overall satisfaction in their market area based on research with clients, peers and industry leaders. It is an exclusive award given to an elite group of professionals in a given industry and market area. Less than four percent of the wealth managers in the Austin, San Antonio and Central Texas region were selected for the award.

Mr. Wanamaker has served as a Southwest Securities financial advisor since joining the firm in 1988.

"We are proud of our financial advisor's recognition as a FIVE STAR Wealth Manager(SM) because the award is based on client and peer evaluations," said Mark Sachse, executive vice president and director of the Southwest Securities Private Client Group. "We congratulate Sturdy on this outstanding achievement."

QMI Research administers a survey by mail and phone in each geographic market to approximately a quarter of the high-net-worth households and all FINRA license holders. Respondents are asked to evaluate up to three wealth managers. Each client and peer respondent is asked to evaluate only wealth managers whom they know through personal experience.

The questionnaires are structured to make it equally easy for an individual to give negative or positive responses regarding each wealth manager evaluated. QMI Research scores the survey responses, including all responses both negative and positive, to determine which wealth managers meet the identified standards, and screens wealth managers based on their regulatory compliance history as reported by FINRA, the SEC and other regulatory authorities.

Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be included in the evaluation process or to be named as a FIVE STAR Wealth Manager(SM), and the award program and research process adhere to the guidelines established within the Investment Advisors Act of 1940 regarding third-party recognition.

Southwest Securities, Inc., a member of NYSE, FINRA and SIPC, provides securities brokerage, investment banking and securities clearing services to a broad range of individual, corporate, public and industry clients. The firm is a wholly owned subsidiary of SWS Group, Inc. (NYSE: SWS), a financial services holding company whose stock is listed and traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol, SWS.

SOURCE Southwest Securities, Inc.